Casimir force between parallel plates separated by anisotropic media

Abstract

The Casimir force between two parallel plates separated by anisotropic media is investigated. We theoretically calculate the Casimir force between two parallel plates when the interspace between the plates is filled with anisotropic media. Our result shows that the anisotropy of the material between the plates can significantly affect the Casimir force, especially the direction of the force. If ignoring the anisotropy of the in-between material makes the force repulsive (attractive), by contrast taking the anisotropy into account may produce an extra attractive (repulsive) force. The physical explanation for this phenomenon is also discussed.